I've been reading a lot about the different styles in karate on this forum. Lots has been said about the differences between the styles, and people have told which style they do. What I couldn't find is the following (and excuse if there is already a thread excisting on this, I looked for it but couldn't find anything):

What made you choose the style that you do now, or did in the past?

Was it something you did research in before you joined a dojo, or (just as me) pure coincidence, wanting to do karate, walking into the nearest dojo, having absolutely no idea there were different styles?

Maybe you joined a style recommended by friends?

Is there also a reason why you joined a particular dojo:again, just because it was closest to your house; because you knew people who trained there; or because you didn't know anyone and wanted to meet new people there?

So to be fair I have to give an answer first of course. As already mentioned, pure coincidence for me. I wanted to do karate; walked into te nearest dojo, joined and enjoyed every minute. It is my first style, so I don't have any comparison with other styles. Why this particular dojo? Well, again because it was close to were I live. I made some very good friends and is feels like a home to me now.

When i first visited my dojo i was in awe.I was about 14,and i visited the adult class and sat through it.I never seen kata before and they did it very crisp and very hard with so much spirit it was flowing out of their ears!I was truly amazed(even at the young age i was)to see all of these grown men and a crippled master(my sensei)do such great karate.

Then they began to spar,man it felt like an earthquake in there.I never heard people get hit so hard and just keep on fighting,they looked like a beautiful choereographed movie.I was hooked the first day.I didnt know how a crippled man prouduce such great karateka. Even to this day people always ask me,"how does he teach you if he cant move?"When i was young i never had an answer for them.But as i grew and got to know sensei more,the truth came to me.The mind is so much stronger than the body,and sensei is the perfect example to this.

That is why i choose him rather than the style(which is goju ryu).Oss

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Truth is relationship with the opponent,living,moving,never static.

[quote}I've been reading a lot about the different styles in karate on this forum. Lots has been said about the differences between the styles, and people have told which style they do. What I couldn't find is the following (and excuse if there is already a thread excisting on this, I looked for it but couldn't find anything):

What made you choose the style that you do now, or did in the past?

Was it something you did research in before you joined a dojo, or (just as me) pure coincidence, wanting to do karate, walking into the nearest dojo, having absolutely no idea there were different styles?

Maybe you joined a style recommended by friends?

Is there also a reason why you joined a particular dojo:again, just because it was closest to your house; because you knew people who trained there; or because you didn't know anyone and wanted to meet new people there?

So to be fair I have to give an answer first of course. As already mentioned, pure coincidence for me. I wanted to do karate; walked into te nearest dojo, joined and enjoyed every minute. It is my first style, so I don't have any comparison with other styles. Why this particular dojo? Well, again because it was close to were I live. I made some very good friends and is feels like a home to me now.

So share your experiences to feed my curiosity

Obviously this is going vary from person to person.With me, it was so long ago (in the 70's) there weren't many martial arts schools around. I knew nothing about it really. To give you a clue, my measure of what a classy fighter was was watching John Wayne slug it out in a bar with Lee Marvin (Donovan's Reef, for those of you old enough to remember).

I just went along with a friend from school and was hooked. He eventually dropped away and I stuck at it, same style for all these years, the only time I've had off training was a brief brush with Hepatitis and a stay in hospital to have my nose repaired. And in all these years I've absolutely loved it. I am sure that I would have been a lesser person had I not accidentally wandered into that Dojo.

I also consider myself lucky because I've been trained by some of the finest instructors in my chosen discipline.

Also, the style I happen to do fits my physique, my personality and my approach to life, so I'm extra lucky.

I think that now things are more difficult because of the martial arts marketplace. The beginner does not know what is good or bad, they have nothing substantial to compare their martial arts school with. And naturally they will fiercly defend their decision to train in that particular style under that particular Sensei, even if it's a duff decision.

My advice to anyone in any school is to look around, find out what other martial artists in your own system are doing, go and visit other clubs.

The fact of the matter is that true quality is hard to find, particularly because it does not need to blow its own trumpet, it's often happening in very quiet corners.

I started Karate because a mate of mine was starting his own class at the Dojo he trained at.

My mate and another of the students had just passed their shodan grading and had completed their assistant instructors course and were encouraged to start up their own beginners class within the dojo.

He was struggling for members as it had just started so I showed up to make up some numbers. That was about 4 years ago and I've never looked back since. At the time it started as a good workout and a bit of fun, but it has changed quite a lot since then and I now take it a bit more seriously.

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All martial arts are equal.... it's just that some are more equal than others!

Because I'm the reincarnation of Gichin Funakoshi... I have to practice its in my very soul meat.

Sorry. I figured someone had to say something ridiculous to get it out of the way.

I studied TKD when I was young, and found it lacked what I was looking for. I then stumbled through many martial arts until I hit Aikido and by way of association came to the Traditional Karate's... Shito-Ryu and Shotokan are the two that I've practiced with some fervor, Goju/Wado/Etc I've watched, spoken with practitioners but never gotten on the mat to practice. Although I would love to.

I was actually forced to enroll into martial arts by my mother because I was a scrawny kid with a bad temper that was constantly getting sent to the nurses off because I was getting the potatoes beaten out of me.

I attacked my 1st Karate instructor (I was 14-15 yrs old) on a dark street he thrashed me quickly even thoughh I out weighted him and was taller, I didn't give up until he did twice. It took several months of begging for him to except me as a student. This was a Shorin-ryu, Judo, & boxing. Then I studied Tang-soo-do & Jujitsu from a local Instructor, met his Instructor who started study Goju-ryu. Later he introduces me to this art and I became his under study. He latter opened a Goju dojo there I was a assistant Instructor. Goju-ryu and my past training became my foundation of growth and study for the other arts. Now I'm a prepetual student.

I've always been interested in the martial arts. As a nine-year-old I took TKD for a few months as an after-school activity and when I was twelve I took some kickboxing.

When I was 17, I took a Karate class as a gym course. My instructor said he also had a Karate dojo where he teaches if any of us wanted to join. I did the next week and haven't looked back. I didn't know anything about anything at the time really. I had no idea there were so many different styles, different kinds of teachers and dojos. That wasn't until I stumbled upon FA. Thanks to that I know for sure my dojo's a good one--which I thank FA a lot for. A site like this can save you tons of time and money, that's for sure .

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I always thought an Arm bar was a place thumbs went to drink wrestle and pick up cute fingers.Cord

When I started going out with my now husband, I discovered that he had done some karate as a teenager (zen do kai - based on Goju-Ryu) and so had his brother. He had stopped but his brother was still training in a similar style ( had been training for about 15 + years and was a Sandan and running a dojo) Me and his wife decided to start training and he suggested we train with his instructor who was 5th dan in this style. Haven't looked back since. I haven't trained in other styles, but what I am currently doing suits me. So it was basically chosen because of the family connections!